Did You Know...
...that the video game, Pong, was invented by a guy who graduated at the bottom of his engineering class? Nolan Bushnell spent more time running the games at a local amusement park than he did on his studies at the University of Utah. His dreams of working for Disney's amusement empire were dashed when the company wouldn't hire him. Taking a boring job, Nolan daydreamed about electronic versions of popular games. He invented Pong, the first video game, and went on to found Atari Co.
PatentStorm News
Make the Most of Our Site
See this month's Top Inventors and Most Cited Patents.
Stay on top of the latest innovations by subscribing to an RSS feed.
Registered users: Manage your profile.
| Number | Title | Issue Date |
| 7365862 | Methods and apparatus for inspecting an object A method for generating a mask for use with a light measurement system that includes a light source for projecting light onto an object, and an imaging sensor for receiving light reflected from the object. The method includes determining a profile of the object to b... | 04/29/2008 |
| 7299564 | Scanning unit and position measuring device A scanning unit including a support and a scanning plate fastened on the support by a first fastening element and a second fastening element. An eccentric element that can be rotated around a first axis of rotation and causes pivoting of the scanning plate with resp... | 11/27/2007 |
| 7281339 | Encoder system A structure and associated method to accurately read an encoder tape in an encoder system. The encoder system comprises, a read head, a shoe structure adjacent the read head, and an encoder tape. The encoder tape is adapted to be read by the read head. The shoe stru... | 10/16/2007 |
| 7225555 | Linear scale attachment device and attachment method A linear scale attachment device for holding and securely attaching a linear scale on an object to be measured is disclosed. The device includes an aluminum base formed with a holding groove having a larger opening than the width of a linear scale that is fitted in ... | 06/05/2007 |
| 7215504 | Disk drive using an optical sensor to detect a position of an actuator arm A disk drive is disclosed comprising a disk, an actuator arm, a head coupled to the actuator arm, a base, and an optical sensor operable to detect a position of the actuator arm. The optical sensor comprises a light source that is stationary relative to the base, a ... | 05/08/2007 |
| 7134177 | Method and device for applying a scale or scale support A device for applying a scale element to a first body, in relation to which a second body can be moved in a measuring direction, the device includes an alignment element displaceable on a scale element in a measuring direction, and applied transversely thereto in a ... | 11/14/2006 |
| 7027639 | High speed optical image acquisition system with extended dynamic range A high-speed image acquisition system includes a source of light; a sensor for acquiring a plurality of images of the target; a system for determining relative movement between the source and the target; and an image processor for processing the acquired images to g... | 04/11/2006 |
| 6901682 | Rotation angle detecting apparatus and its rotary disc A rotary disc made of synthetic resin has a fixed portion fixed to a rotary shaft, a cylindrical portion extending in the thrust direction from the outer peripheral edge of the fixed portion, and a disc main body portion extending in the radial direction from the lo... | 06/07/2005 |
| 6750899 | Solder paste inspection system A novel inspection system for inspecting an article of manufacture, such as a printed circuit board, is disclosed, where the system includes a strobed illuminator adapted to project light through a reticle so as to project a pattern of light onto an area of the prin... | 06/15/2004 |
| 6403950 | Method of producing a carrier frequency modulated signal A method for generating a carrier frequency-modulated signal for the evaluation of n>2 photoelectric measurement signals which are generated by imaging a structured surface onto a spatial frequency filter and are phase-shifted with respect to one another ... | 06/11/2002 |
| 6396942 | Method and apparatus for locating ball grid array packages from two-dimensional image data A ball grid array inspection and location method and apparatus includes a raw feature finding processor which uses a feature finding algorithm to find ball features (irrespective of number) and generate a list of raw features as an X and Y location for ea... | 05/28/2002 |
| 6271022 | Device for incubating and monitoring multiwell assays The present invention provides easy-to-use, adaptable, and convenient solutions to a heretofore unmet need for instruments that can incubate and kinetically monitor assays, especially multiwell assays. In particular, the present invention finds use in mon... | 08/07/2001 |
| 6043500 | Exposure apparatus and its control method An exposure apparatus, which has a projection optical system, a Z-stage movable in the optical axis direction of the projection optical system, an X-Y stage movable in a planar direction perpendicular to the optical axis direction, and a sensor for measur... | 03/28/2000 |
| 5995232 | Method of and device for inspecting a PCB A quantity of material is locally deposited on or removed from a substantially flat substrate of a circuit board. The quantity is inspected by carrying out a first measurement of a level of a surface of the material in a direction transversely of the subs... | 11/30/1999 |
| 5969342 | Multiplexable optical fiber displacement, strain acceleration and pressure sensors and method of operating the same Displacement is measured using two overlaid parallel optic gratings as the sensing elements of a sensor head. Optic fibers are employed as the transmission media between the sensor head and a central signal processing unit. The light intensity signals of ... | 10/19/1999 |
| 5959295 | Timing device and method for positioning non-linear machine parts A method and device for positioning non-linear machine parts using a timing element, particularly for machine parts that are in non-linear motion. The invention has a pair of sensors spaced apart for reading bar code marks on the timing unit when the timi... | 09/28/1999 |
| 5867250 | Apparatus and method for optically mapping front and back surface topographies of an object Apparatus for determining the topography of a surface of an ophthalmic object comprising a projection branch for projecting along a first optical axis a projected structured light pattern onto the surface of the ophthalmic object. The projected structured... | 02/02/1999 |
| 5623142 | Optical encoding detecting coarse and fine position An optical type encoder is comprised of a gauge member and a sensor portion moved relative to each other with the movement of an object to be detected. The gauge member has a plurality of slit rows comprising a plurality of slits formed at intervals along... | 04/22/1997 |
| 5616917 | Device for measuring an angle between pivotally-connected members A device for measuring an angle between pivotally connected, intersecting sides of a parallelogram includes a grating having a pattern of parallel, straight grating lines formed on a substrate, and a read head. The grating is mounted in a fixed position w... | 04/01/1997 |
| 5498867 | Wavelength-division multiplex digital optical position sensor According to a first aspect of the invention, an optical position sensor employs a position encoder having collimators and reflectors with mutually aligned optical axes mounted in a support. A slotted code plate moves between the collimators and reflector... | 03/12/1996 |
| 5384000 | Semiconductor chip mounting method and apparatus The three-dimensional shape of the surface of a board (12) is measured, and the parallel degree between the board (12) and a semiconductor chip (10) is adjusted on the basis of the measurement result. A board mounting means (13) and a semiconductor chip h... | 01/24/1995 |
| 5324381 | Semiconductor chip mounting method and apparatus The three-dimensional shape of the surface of a board (12) is measured, and the parallel degree between the board (12) and a semiconductor chip (10) is adjusted on the basis of the measurement result. A board mounting means (13) and a semiconductor chip h... | 06/28/1994 |
| 5099583 | Incremental measuring system The incremental system for measuring lengths comprises a scale member that is provided with a measuring scale and is accommodated in a tubular projective housing, on which the scale member is held at one side edge of the scale member. A scanning unit is g... | 03/31/1992 |
| 5065017 | Zero mark for optical encoder using stator mask patterns and rotor patterns An incremental position encoder makes use of a first and second track of non-identical non-complementary aperiodic patterns to generate a zero mark. A mask with the identical pattern to the first track and a mask with the complementary pattern to the seco... | 11/12/1991 |
| 4928169 | Mensuration frame grabbing apparatus A mensuration apparatus for converting film images and paper drawings into digital photogrammatic arrays to be computer processed, displayed, mensurated and analyzed. This mensuration apparatus includes a table on whcih a translatable camera and a reseau ... | 05/22/1990 |
| 4924505 | Method of mensuration of an image on an object A mensuration apparatus for converting film images and paper drawings into digital photogrammetric arrays to be computer processed, displayed, mensurated and analyzed. This mensuration apparatus includes a table on which a translatable camera and a reseau... | 05/08/1990 |
| 4878247 | Method for the photogrammetrical pick up of an object with the aid of at least one opto-electric solid-state surface sensor The photogrammetrical pick up of an object with the aid of an opto-electronic solid-state surface sensor can be carried out in partial-images over a large image format if the position of the sensor in the image plane is determined by means of a reseau. Th... | 10/31/1989 |
| 4808807 | Optical focus sensor system An optical focus sensing system is disclosed. The system provides a focus shift measurement capability utilizing the relative motion between two gratings to produce different diffraction orders which are separately detected by a pair of detectors to form ... | 02/28/1989 |
| 4776669 | Optical path sensor including a filter An optical path sensor including a filter through which passes a radiation beam comprising light of at least two wavelengths and which filter, as it is moved perpendicularly to the direction of the optical radiation beam, causes the attenuations for the b... | 10/11/1988 |
| 4766310 | Photoelectric position measuring instrument with grids A position measuring instrument, comprising a scanning grid, a scale grid and an illumination unit, is used to produce two sets of diffracted partial light rays. The scanning grid defines a grid constant and is formed by two scanning fields, constructed a... | 08/23/1988 |
| 4717824 | Photoelectric displacement detecting apparatus A photoelectric displacement detecting apparatus for measuring a length from a repeated number of bright and dark portions of light formed by the repetitions of overlappings of slits in respective slit rows during a relative movement between a main scale ... | 01/05/1988 |
| 4700063 | Encoder output error detecting circuit An encoder having improved output abnormality detection. First and second input signals differing in phase from one another are compared by respective first and second comparators with a first reference level at an amplitude center of each of the first an... | 10/13/1987 |
| 4667096 | Position measuring system comprising at least two scanning units A position measuring system for measuring the relative position of two objects movable with respect to one another includes a housing which rotatably supports a shaft connected with the first object. A first graduation disk with a first incremental gradua... | 05/19/1987 |
| 4652746 | Synchronizing device for electrically actuated coupling A synchronizing device for an electrically actuated coupling automatically coupling structural units of processing machine, includes a driving shaft and a driven shaft and two synchronizing members each connected to the assigned shaft for joint rotation t... | 03/24/1987 |
| 4586760 | Measuring scale casing and mounting spar A measuring scale casing or housing and spar therefor. The spar comprises integral top and back walls. The back wall is provided proximate its lower end, with a lip extending in the same direction as the top wall. The internal surface of the lip has a gro... | 05/06/1986 |
| 4554450 | Device for angle of rotation determination In a device for determining the angle of rotation of a rotating member by use of a perforated disk which corotates with the rotating member and intermittently interrupts a continuous beam of light directed at the perforations of the disk, an improvement c... | 11/19/1985 |
| 4499374 | Photoelectrical encoder employing an optical grating A photoelectrical encoder wherein a physical quantity is detected from brightness obtained by moving a first and a second scales each provided thereon with an optical grating relative to each other, characterized in that the grating in one of the scales i... | 02/12/1985 |
| 4429219 | Apparatus for determining and indicating the position of a movable member Apparatus for detecting the position of a movable member such as the control lever (42) of an audio fader (FIG. 2). A series of light emitting and detecting elements (Q1-Q5) define a plurality of light paths arranged over a distance of D units, and provid... | 01/31/1984 |
| 4427883 | Optical sensing system for extensible tape rules The present invention relates to coilable extensible rules or the like. More specifically, the present invention is concerned with a new and improved optical sensing system for extensible tape rules of the type that provide a visual display of the measurm... | 01/24/1984 |
| 4423958 | Test apparatus for digital photoelectric length or angle measuring instrument A digital photoelectric angle or length measuring instrument, of the type having a scale with at least one division, a scanning unit for scanning the division to generate a scanning signal, and an evaluating unit having a trigger circuit for evaluating th... | 01/03/1984 |
